Sri Lanka
Day 1 - Negombo
Arrived around 10:30 pm Sri Lankan time, so about 3 am Sydney time and out of the airport without any hassles. Met by the very nice Hasintha and off to the hotel. Nothing open on the way there so we had no idea what to expect. Our hotel Rani Beach Hotel is ok - nothing great but clean and fine for the $.
Up early (yes a bit jet lagged) and down to breakfast - great view of the beach out the front with the square rig outriggers going out prawn fishing.
After breakfast we have stuff to get sorted - SIM cards were easy, then took a tuk tuk to the medical centre to get my broken tooth fixed. Yes, not great timing on my part to break a tooth the night before leaving.... anyway the outside of the clinic looked ok so in we went. Bit of a wait, then they took me out the back to a ‘shed’ in the car park! Oh well too late to back out now so in I go. Well the equipment was pretty archaic, and I’m not sure about their hygiene practices, but after a clean, new filling and a lecture on my bad practices (cleaning teeth too vigorously) I wobble out 1 hour later and $60 poorer. It’s a bit rough, but will do till we get home.
From there we did a bit of a walk around Negombo town, had a great fruit juice each and got a new battery for Joes watch. I’m fading by this time, so got a tuk tuk back to the hotel. There was a little kid in the back in his school uniform who we thought was the drivers son. Anyway, we headed down a side street where the driver stopped, jumps out and says he’ll be back in a minute. Hauls the kid out of the back window and carries him acrosss the street. Kid wasn’t his but a passenger - did we pay for his ride home? Back to the hotel for a swim, few drinks, early dinner and in bed by 7:30!
